England not risking Flintoff for second tour match

England have chosen caution ahead of adventure and sidelined Andrew Flintoff for their final tour match ahead of their Test series against West Indies.

Flintoff has not made the final cut for the three-day, first-class match against West Indies-A, starting at Warner Park on Thursday, following a side strain which forced him out of the tour opener against St. Kitts & Nevis.

Medical scans showed "no major damage", but England do not want to risk their key all-rounder a week before the opening Test at Sabina Park in the Jamaica capital of Kingston.

"He is still a little sore, but the scan results were good, so hopefully he will be ready for the first Test," said Andy Flower, a member of the England coaching staff, Wednesday.

Flintoff had travelled to Jamaica on Monday, accompanied by team doctor Mike Stone, to have a medical scan, after he made the complaint, following a spell in the nets.

If he is chosen for the first Test, starting next Wednesday, this would mean he would enter the match without any meaningful action for a little over a month.

"Ideally, we would have liked him to have got a longer hit in the middle, but that is not going to be.

"But he could go straight into a Test match. He's experienced enough to go straight in."

Flintoff made a comeback to international cricket last year, following an ankle operation which put him out of the game for a year, and England are not keen to lose him so soon again.

Owais Shah, another member of the visiting side with a medical complaint, seems to have recovered from a setback from a scratched cornea. He fielded during the St. Kitts & Nevis second innings on Monday.

Shah has been given a chance to keep the pressure on Ian Bell for the pivotal No.3 position in the Test side. He already got the jump-start, following an undefeated 125 in the tour opener and another solid innings would almost make him a shoe-in.

The A-Team have been set back by injuries with Darren Bravo, the younger brother of West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, and an exciting prospect, being sidelined with a finger injury, while uncapped fast bowlers Nelon Pascal and Kemar Roach have various complaints.

England should still get a fairly tough workout with A-Team captain Darren Sammy, Sewnarine Chattergoon and Amit Jaggernauth all having played Tests previously, while Lendl Simmons and Leon Johnson have appeared in One-day Internationals.